III.
JALEN'S POV
"Can you believe it all started with one dance?"
Josiah throws a glance in my direction with his low and red eyes. He lifts a thick eyebrow up, announcing his confusion towards my question. The girls are enjoying a night out and the kids are staying with Ma tonight, so we've been drinking, smoking, and reminiscing.
"Persuasion," I remind him and a smirk graces his lips as he takes a sip of his Hennessy, reliving that moment in his mind with me.
"Mane," he chuckles while slightly shaking his head, "everybody wanted Persuasion. She was really the best dancer in that club, couldn't even consider shorty a stripper."
"Nah, fr," I agree as I ash out the blunt, before picking up my own bottle of Henny.
"I can't even see Thea as Persuasion," he admits after a while, "Persuasion seemed like she didn't have emotions, but Thea wore her heart on her sleeves."
The way he speaks about her in past tense causes my heart to fall to the pit of my stomach. If Thea doesn't make it out of this, I'll never be able to accept her death. I'll never move on.
"Ion know," I reply, "I think she put her emotions into dancing as Persuasion since she ain't really have anybody to talk to."
"That's why you won her over," he runs a hand down his face, "you saw her heart when nobody else did. But, ay..."
"Wassup?"
"Listen, mane," he sits up in his seat, before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, "I know I told you that you were making her suffer, but I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. Thea's stronger than most women we've met, shit... she up there with Ma. I know she gone get through this."
"Thank you, bruh," I nod at his encouraging words, "I really needed to hear that."
"Got you, always. You decided what you wanna do for the twin's birthday?" He asks, shifting topics of conversation.
The twins are turning one in about two months and I know I'ma have to turn up for my little ones.
"Nah," I answer honestly, "I might just throw a big ass party in the backyard with a nice ass theme."
"I still can't believe you a father, bruh," Josiah shakes his head with a smile on his face, "I'm proud of you, honestly. You raised twins while their mother is fighting for her life, most niggas can't do that."
"Glad I ain't most niggas," we share a laugh at my words, "thanks though. I just hope she wakes up soon, I need her more than ever right now."
"I got a feeling she will."
Those words alone gives me the faith I've been missing.
"I appreciate that," we exchange fold ups, before directing our conversations towards childhood memories.
MORNING AFTER
The sound of the doorbell ringing echoes throughout the house and I glance at the Rolex decorating my wrist. It's almost eleven in the morning and I'm not expecting the twins to be back from Ma's until I pick them up this evening. I sigh, before lifting myself up from the bed and pulling on a white t-shirt to accompany my grey sweats. The bell rings throughout the house again letting me know that they're growing impatient which only annoys me. I quickly descend the staircase, before walking towards the front door. Loud and repetitive knocks can be heard and my annoyance is immediately replaced with anger.
